6th year defenseman Mat Bodie(2) switches it up for his 2nd season overseas signing with Vaxjo Lakers of the SHL after spending his first campaign skating for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod scoring 3 goals and 13 assists in 39 KHL games.
He initially left as an unrestricted free agent after a year under contract to Tampa Bay Lightning but was reassigned for the duration to affiliate Syracuse Crunch, where he posted a career high 31 assists and 37 points.
The 29-year old was named assistant captain of his new club and had a goal and 2 assists in 17 games, but recently split from the team to agree to terms with rivals IK Oskarshamn.
Mat Bodie (2)
New York Rangers‘ undrafted rookie defenseman Mat Bodie(2) was captain of the Union College team that won their first, a Cinderella Story style, 2014 NCAA Championship in his fourth and final season.
They did win back-to-back ECAC Championships in 2012 and 2013.
He slipped under the radar possibly due to where he was playing and even though his numbers have been good, his somewhat small 6′ 175 lbs. size may have been slightly prohibitive for other clubs to take the chance.
They were definitely missing a pretty smart playing blue liner that’s a sharp thinker on ice and can put up points, which is necessary because his physical game is definitely low impact.
He already seems to be out there as a player with more pro experience despite this being his first season. It’s likely it’s due to him already being 24-years old when he started.
Signed to only a one-year entry level deal, he was a bit of a late cut from training camp.
Reassigned to start with minor league affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack, he’s managed to get 3 goal, 14 assists and has a +1 rating in 48 AHL games with a squad that’s fighting for their playoff life.
The parent club will probably want to continue to watch this prospect develop.
He’s set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season and it would be a surprise to see them step away from a qualifying offer to stay put.